Google Driverless Car

Driverless cars are so clever, aren’t they? The potential to whisk us along in total comfort and relaxation while a silicon chip takes care of the driving may sound like bliss to some.

However, despite recent news that self-driving cars will be legally allowed on our roads as early as next year, they might not be as clean cut and infallible as you might think.

The biggest name in the business, internet giant Google, announced in May this year that it would build its own totally autonomous self-driving vehicle. But it seems as though the project has come under fire for its potential limitations – not to mention safety implications.

It’s also interesting, then, that the lead software engineer for the project, Dmitri Dolgov, disclosed recently that the car can actually go 10mph over the speed limit when traffic conditions warrant.

According to a report by Computerworld.com, it’s also alleged that the Google car’s limitations are still quite restrictive, with adverse weather – such as heavy rain or snow – meaning the car can’t drive itself.

Alex Todd Brand Manager at Its4women commented "It is not clear who would be liable to pay a speeding fine when a driverless car was involved: the owner, the passenger or Google for writing the software."